Disclaimer: Hello again, friends! You should know by now that I don't own Twilight characters in any way, shape or form. So get reading!
Chapter 10: Request
"Shush, Edward, I'm trying to concentrate." The soprano voice was sharper than I had heard it before.
"I will not, shush, Alice," A velvety voice said venomously. I felt something on my hand squeeze tighter.
"Edward, if you want me to see how this will turn out, then I expect you to comply," The girl's voice shot back. The male growled, but didn't speak.
"She'll wake up soon. A few hours at the earliest," The girl promised. The male squeezed my hand. I vaguely felt his breath on my cheek as he kissed it tenderly. "Edward, are you going to tell her when she wakes up? She's going to want to know," The girl told him. He sighed.
"I don't know. I don't want to, how will she react? She's the only person I can't... you know..." I felt his hand shudder lightly in mine. "Can you see how it would turn out?" A moment's pause.
"It's unclear, because you're unclear of the decision. Do you remember when I first started seeing things, the beginning of this year?" Another pause. "Everything is getting clearer, and they're getting longer. Not much longer, but definitely clearer. You should tell her," The girl urged. The male sighed.
"I'll think about it," He promised, before lapsing into silence. The whole exchange confused me. I didn't dwell on it, preferring to relax back into unconsciousness.
"Her brain activity is picking up. I believe she will be waking up very soon." I didn't know how much later it was after the exchange. My fingertips twitched, and I realized that someone was holding my hand.
"Bella? Bella, can you hear me? Try and squeeze my hand if you can hear me." I used all the strength I had to grip his fingertips more firmly. He exhaled in relief. "Carlisle, I think she's awake." My eyelids slowly fluttered open, and I squinted around, trying to get used to the bright lights. Edward's perfect face was the first thing I saw, bringing a weak smile to my face.
"Hi," I mouthed, my throat too try to form actual words. His smile was dazzling. My eyes darted around the sterile white environment. I should have been used to being in the hospital by now, what with my many injuries. But I still disliked the place. My eyes rested on another familiar face, a female's. "Alice..." My lips formed the words, but no sound came out.
"Alice," Edward repeated. My gaze continued around the room, searching for other familiarities.
"Carlisle...?" What was he doing here? Why had they brought me over to little Forks hospital, when there was one not even ten minutes away in Seattle. Dr. Cullen rushed to my side, feeling my pulse, checking my joint movement.
"Bella, can you hold up your fingers?" I weakly obliged. He beamed at me. "Excellent. Now show me, on a scale from one to ten, how badly does your forehead hurt?" Was I supposed to be in pain? I felt perfectly– oh!
It felt like somebody was branding me on my forehead. No, it was much worse. It felt like my skull was being cut open by a knife infected with deadly bacteria. No, it was much worse. Words couldn't describe the excruciating pain. Ten fingers shot up, as I grimaced, holding in the agonized scream of pain. Carlisle shook his head sadly.
"Hmm... I think more morphine will do the trick," He murmured to himself. "Bella, would you mind if you were out for another couple of hours?" I shook my head, wanting the pain to disappear. I looked back at Edward, and smiled self consciously. He was staring at me like... I didn't really know how to explain it to myself. Perhaps the perfect mix of hope and concern, laced with other emotions that I couldn't quite place. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carlisle fixing my IV drip– ugh, needles.
"We'll talk later," I mouthed to Edward. He grimaced, and I smirked, feeling my eyes droop and the pain immediately started to dull.
The first thing I noticed was a delicious aroma. My interest piqued, my eyes opened, revealing to me my favorite vision. Flashes of those emerald eyes, perfectly shaped nose, and that scent that radiated off of him...
"Edward." I smiled weakly at him. My voice was scratchy, but the words actually came out. His returning smile was blinding.
"Bella, you're awake," He breathed, squeezing my hand. I closed my eyes blissfully, drinking in his heady fragrance. I then remembered that we had a few things to talk about. I gazed around the room, and the only other person was Carlisle.
"May I have some time alone with Edward, please?" I asked him faintly. He hesitated, glancing at his clipboard. He sighed.
"Of course, but Edward, I'm going to have to ask you to fill her in on... everything." With a short nod, Carlisle turned and left the room. My eyes flickered back to Edward, who smirked.
"You hit your head on the edge of Alice's bed, and cracked your skull. There's no brain damage, at least, no more than there wasn't already. Did you get dropped on your head while you were a baby?" He teased. I snarled.
"I like you better when you're worried. And, I'm clumsy, remember? You know, falling a lot? Come to think of it, I didn't trip as often as I do here... wonder why that is," I mused, my voice gaining some strength. "Anyways, I heard you and Alice talking." Edward froze, his green eyes slightly nervous. "She said something like... 'Are you going to tell her?' And then you said 'I don't know,' and then you wanted to know how I would react. And, by the way, I'll never think of you as a freak. No matter what," I concluded softly. He smiled slightly, before sighing resignedly.
"Bella," He began softly, leaning towards me. "Bella," He repeated my name as if he were speaking of a religious character. The tip of his nose rested on the corner of my jaw. My breathing hitched as he pressed his lips to the hollow under my ear. The beeping of the heart monitor fluttered wildly, matching the speed of my heartbeat.
"Edward... tell... me..." It was hard to form a coherent sentence with him like this. He pulled away, his eyes on mine. I folded my hands on my stomach, smiling cheekily, waiting for him to begin.
"How... how to tell you... I suppose... just let it all out?" He murmured to himself his brow furrowing. "Bella... I can read minds." He waited for my reaction, and it wasn't the one he expected.
"And?" Confusion was etched in every part of his gorgeous features.
"That's it. I was expecting you to scream and tell me to get the hell away from you," He responded quietly, chuckling. I rolled my eyes.
"Come on, Edward. I knew you were special. So what's a little mind reading? Now tell me, what am I thinking right now?" I love you Edward, with every fiber of my being.
"I don't know," He admitted, looking towards the heart monitor. "Your mind is the only one I can't hear. I don't really know why... but everyone else, I hear them shouting at me, and sometimes I hear murmurs. And then, when I try to hear you, it's silent. There was only one time that I think I heard you... remember last Sunday when you randomly got angry? And then I asked you what you were thinking, because I saw... flashes... of things, memories I had, but what I saw, I was looking at myself from your point of view. And then you pulled yourself together, and the images were gone." I listened in silence, not daring to interrupt. I always knew that Edward was special, and this was... it was just a little more than I had imagined. But strange as it was, it didn't change my feelings for him.
In a bad way, at least. Impossibly, my infatuation had grown, and this tidbit of information caused an explosion. At least he couldn't read my mind– that would be thoroughly embarrassing. I didn't want him to know about the fantasies flashing through my mind's eye. He was watching me again, waiting for my response.
"That's..." I paused, searching for the right word. "Interesting," I concluded. He was still watching. "Edward, you can stop worrying. I'm not going to run away from you," I teased, smirking. He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure of that. Edward, I..." I looked away. I was pretty sure that he didn't feel the same way. He dipped his index finger under my chin, bringing my face to his. He placed his soft lips on mine. The heart monitor went wild, fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. Edward chuckled, pulling his lips away.
"Now, tell me. Since I can't hear your thoughts," He murmured, lightly pressing his forehead against mine. A swell of love and lust crashed through me. I resisted wrapping myself around him. "What were you going to say?" I sighed, my eyes flicking away from his. Now was not the time to tell him how I felt. A sudden rush of thankfulness rushed through me– he couldn't hear my thoughts
"Another time," I said quietly, a smirk crossing my face. I didn't let my eyes return to his as he let out a frustrated groan.
"That's really frustrating, you know," he complained.
"No," I disagreed quickly, moving to cross my arms across my chest. "It's not that frustrating at all. Just because someone won't tell you what they're thinking... imagine how it is for the rest of us." My tone was venomous, and Edward cringed. My anger disappeared as quickly as it had come. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... it's the drugs, I swear it!" I held up my hand, which had an IV needle sticking out the back of it, to show him. He chuckled, taking my hand and lightly pressing his lips to my fingertips.
We sat for a few moments in silence before he spoke again. "You're very interesting when you sleep, even drug induced." He smirked. "You talk."
"No!" I moaned, shielding my brilliantly red face in my hands. Of course, I knew that I talked in my sleep. Whenever I had sleep overs, my friends would always interrogate me about who I was talking about in my sleep. Normally I would brush away the comments, announcing that they were dreaming. But then when I screamed that night in Alice's room, during the nightmare... well, that just confirmed the worst.
"Are you upset?" His tone was slightly worried, slightly bemused.
"That depends."
"On?" He pressed, gently lifting my hands off my face to better look at me.
"How much you heard!" I howled, my face heating up even more. He placed his lips softly on the tip of my nose, the corners of my lips.
"You worry too much, even in your sleep. You hoped that Charlie was getting on fine... You hoped that Skye was okay back home... You wondered what Jacob would say when you told him that he was wrong..." His lips moved against mine, before he pulled away slightly. "Which brings me to a question– who is this Jacob?" His grin was teasing, but I could see the curiosity deep in his eyes.
"A friend."
He waited.
"And?" He urged, tracing the line of the IV on my hand.
"And... he's taking me to the Sweetheart's Ball," I admitted quietly. "Just as friends," I added hastily, noticing Edward's beautiful green eyes harden. "I was probably telling him he was wrong, because I love him–" Edward cut me off, snarling. "Let me finish. I love him as a brother. No romance intended," I promised firmly. He growled softly, his fingers rigid on the IV. "Besides, my heart belongs to someone else." Oops.
His eyes liquified again, darkening in color. He looked down for a moment, before peeking at me through his thick, long, dark lashes. The effect was dazzling.
"And who might that lucky–" A nurse bustled in and attempted to usher Edward out. He turned his dazzling gaze on her.
"Please, give me a few more minutes with my girlfriend," He pleaded in a low, alluring voice. The a sheen of sweat broke across the woman's face, as she hurried back out of the room, murmuring things like too young...
"You know, you really shouldn't do that to people," I scolded him. He returned his eyes to mine, and they were still dazzling.
"Do what?" He asked innocently.
"Dazzle people. It's really not fair." I sighed. He tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"I dazzle people?" He inquired, the confused look still on my face.
"Not everyone gets what they want so easily," I mumbled, turning my head away. Again, he placed his finger under my chin, forcing my gaze to return to his.
"Do I dazzle you?" I stared at him. What a stupid question.
"Obviously," I mumbled, flicking my eyes towards the door. He seemed sort of smug as he sat back in his chair, watching Carlisle enter the room.
"Good morning, Bella. Or should I say good evening," He corrected himself, eyeing the darkening sky outside the window. "How are you feeling?"
"Healthy as a horse. Can I go back to school tomorrow?" I asked him quickly. He shook his head, chuckling.
"Tomorrow's Saturday, Bella. You've been out since last Sunday. It's January 26, Bella." I shot bolt upright.
"The 26?" I squeaked. Carlisle nodded. That meant that the ball was in two and a half weeks. And there was an indulgence I needed to ask of Edward. I continued to fret over this as Carlisle checked my vital signs. "Where am I?"
"Northwest Hospital," Carlisle responded immediately.
"But Carlisle, why are you here?" I asked, confused.
"Edward requested that I come and take care of you. Nothing less than the best for the love--" Edward cut Carlisle off with a meaningful look. But I could finish the sentence. Nothing less than the best for the love of his life. Huh. So Edward did love me. I guessed we would have to talk about that soon enough. But in a more romantic atmosphere. I watched Edward's usually pale cheeks darken slightly, as Carlisle chuckled softly again.
"Edward, you should tell her," He advised.
"I will. Not here, or now," Edward mumbled in retaliation.
"Soon though?"
"Yes, very soon."
"Before the ball?"
"Perhaps at it," He mused, his brows furrowing. Well, that was rather annoying.
"Girl still here," I reminded them, pointing at myself. Edward threw back his head, laughing louder than I had ever heard before. Carlisle's chuckles quickened, and also increased in volume. I pouted. "Well, unless you want to tell me what that conversation was all about, I suggest you spring me so I can go back." Edward rolled his eyes, his lips pressed into a tight line, trying to hold in his laughter.
"You'll be free to go in about an hour. We just need to make sure you're stable. Anyways, you have a few visitors." There was a knock on the door before it opened. Two people entered the room. The first was Charlie– I was expecting that. His curly brown hair bounced as he moved quickly to my side, his chocolate eyes gazing intently at me. The other was a woman, with light brown hair cut into a chic bob, and brown eyes. My mother, Renee, had flown from Phoenix, just to see me in the hospital.
I was touched, to say the least. She was by my side in a second.
"Mom... Dad..." I croaked, tears springing to my eyes as I enveloped each of them in a hug.
"Bella, I'm so glad you're okay!" Renee exclaimed, squeezing me. I giggled weakly, as she was squeezing the breath out of me.
"Bella, are you sure you want to go back to school? After the accident, I'm not sure if I want you in that hazardous environment," Charlie started awkwardly. He wasn't one for mushy feelings. I shook my head a bit.
"Dad, I'll be okay. I made a stupid decision– I tried to jump onto my friends bed. By the way, why aren't they here? For all they know, I could have died." I frowned, searching the room as if they would pop up and shout Surprise! But no one appeared.
"Actually, they weren't allowed," Carlisle quipped. "Family members only," I threw a sidelong glance at Edward, who was smiling innocently. "Edward shouldn't really be here... but he convinced me to let you stay with a promise he is sure to keep. You'll find out soon enough." He beamed at the two of us. "To quote him exactly, he said 'I won't leave until Bella does, so you'll just have to put up with me sleeping on a chair or something.'" My eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no Edward, you didn't! Please tell me you went to school!" I moaned.
"Nope. I told Carlisle I wouldn't leave you, and I didn't," He stated, not repentant in the least. "Besides, I didn't mind sleeping on the chair." I groaned.
"Edward, you didn't have to do that for me," I whined.
"Bella, I wanted to," He answered, his tone very serious. My mouth was open in surprise, but he continued. "Anyways, I told you, you're interesting to watch sleep. You even said my name." His eyes were twinkling, when I heard a tiny cough. Crap. I had forgotten about my parents still being in the room. I blushed, and noticed that Edward also looked slightly embarrassed.
"Edward, would you mind giving myself and Charlie some alone time with our daughter?" Edward opened his mouth, to protest, I hoped. I didn't particularly want to spend any time away from Edward. But Carlisle smoothly cut in.
"Yes, of course. I need to speak with Edward anyways." A meaningful look and grumbles from Edward. Then I was alone with Renee and Charlie.
"So... how's Phil?" I asked, awkwardly interlacing my fingers. Renee sighed.
"He's alright. He didn't come up– wanted to keep an eye on the house. Speaking of the man in my life, who was that boy? Edward, the doctor said his name was..." It was Charlie who answered.
"That was Edward Cullen," He spat, watching me. Crap. I'd forgotten the first impression he'd gotten of Edward. "I'm pretty surprised that Carlisle let him in here. How's Tanya? Lips heal yet?" He continued, his voice still venomous. Renee and I stared at him in shock.
"Dad, they broke up a week ago," I began, my shock melting into hesitancy. "Edward is actually really nice. He's not gross like I thought... not at all..." I trailed off, reminiscing about how utterly perfect his full lips felt against mine. "He's perfect." I sighed.
"Bella, I think you're in love with him!" Renee squealed, sounding like Alice. I sighed again. I couldn't deny it– I was in love with him. Charlie stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to deny Renee's crazy accusations. But that was something I couldn't... wouldn't do.
"I'm pretty crazy about Edward..." I began quietly. "But I don't know so much about him,"
"With the way he looks at you? Bella, he didn't leave your side except for bathroom breaks! This is so adorable! My baby, falling in love!" She sighed dramatically, leaning against my bed. Charlie was staring at me in shock and horror. His face was deepening in color, and he looked as if he wanted to punch someone, and soon. I would have to warn Edward.
"So, Bella... is he good?" Oh dear God, my mother did not just ask me that. She did not just ask me if Edward was 'good.' It was just a crazy dream... just a crazy dream.
So why was Renee looking at me expectantly, and Charlie's fists were clenched?
"Mom," I squeaked, chagrined heat spreading throughout my body. "Edward and I aren't – " Which made me rip the sheets off my body to check something. "My period?!" An exclamation and a question in one. If it had been bad before, I didn't want Dr. Cullen... Edward's father to have to deal with a maturing woman. That would be mortifying.
"Oh, I heard about that. Everything was taken care of," Renee answered, laughing a little. I glared at her, tugging the sheets back over my body, blushing still.
"At least I'm getting it... always a good sign," I murmured to myself. Charlie's face drained of color. Renee looked shocked.
"Bella, I thought you said you weren't physically involved with this boy!"
"Mom, stop! This is so embarrassing!" I wailed, tugging the sheets over my face. "We haven't done anything, I'm just saying that I'm glad I don't have some illness that messes up my ability to reproduce... not that I plan on doing that in the near future," I groaned, breathing into the hospital blanket. I heard the heart monitor playing out a quick, uneven tune, and footsteps resounded in the sterile room. I felt a cool hand place itself on mine, lightly drawing the covers away from my face.
"You shouldn't hide your beautiful face," Edward's soft voice reasoned, a smirk playing on his lips. I noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed– I wondered why.
"Edward..." A smile crossed my face as I said his name. I gazed at him hungrily. I felt like I had just won the lottery, and he was my prize. My millions of dollars of cash. But, truth be told, he was much better than any amount of money– he was more to me than anything in the world.
He was my everything. My vision was filled with his flawless face, his green eyes searching mine his tousled bronze hair bristling slightly in the light air conditioning.
"You say it like I'm the prize, and you're the lucky winner, when actually, it's the other way around." With that, he pressed his lips softly to mine. I couldn't imagine what was wrong with his brain– I probably looked hideous, and smelled pretty awful as well. But here he was, kissing me with growing passion and urgency. I wrapped my arms around him, the smile still plastered on my face.
A girlish giggle and an indignant huff broke us apart. I blushed, remembering that Renee and Charlie were looking on during our mini reunion. My gaze flickered from Edward, to my parents, and back again.
"Don't let us interrupt you crazy kids." Renee giggled again. Charlie snorted, as if he wanted to do quite the contrary. Renee smacked him, snatching his arm, and leading him out of the room. She began arguing with him as they left, her tone quick and quiet. I caught snippets of it, like "almost legal" and "obviously in love." I blushed at that last one, and Edward's fingers traced my cheek bone. I hadn't taken into account that Carlisle was in the room until he was removing the needle from my hand. I winced. Edward picked up a small pile of folded material off of the arm of the chair he had been glued to for nearly a week. He handed me my folded clothes, helped me stand, and led me to the bathroom to change.
I dressed, and attempted to comb my fingers through my hair. I noticed a toothbrush on the sink, and I grabbed it, knowing it was Edward's, and assuming he wouldn't mind.
"Okay, I'm decent," I announced when I exited the bathroom. He caught hold of my wrist, and kissed it lightly, before his fingers laced through mine. He leaned forward, his lips at my ear.
"Wrong. You are utterly indecent..." His lips trailed across my cheekbone, rendering me speechless. I blushed a brilliant red. "No one should look as tempting as you." He pressed his mouth to mine, kissing me in earnest.
The moment was ruined when a sharp pain seared across my forehead.
"Ow," I mumbled, reluctantly drawing away from Edward to lightly rub my forehead. My fingers brushed against a layer of bandages. How hadn't I noticed this in the mirror? He shook his head, frowning.
"This is my fault," He murmured, lightly tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as we started walking. I looked at him indignantly.
"No it's not! I do recall you giving me warning not to lunge for Alice's bed... what, did you look into her mind and see the vision?" My tone was meant to be teasing, but he looked at me seriously.
"That is exactly what happened."
"Oh," I murmured, blushing and feeling immensely guilty. "I'm sorry for teasing you. But it's not your fault," I continued quietly. We stopped outside the silver Volvo. I turned to him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"Edward? Will you do something for me please?"
"That depends." I waited.
"On?" I urged, watching him open the passenger door for me.
"What the request is," He responded, smiling. I entered the car, and he closed the door, walking slowly to the other side. I knew he was putting off the moment where I would ask him this favor. When he sat down, I turned my body to face him.
"Will you give me dance lessons?"
Author's Note: Hehe, I'll be adding a mini chapter probably tomorrow. You'll see what it's about then!
I don't want the dates to be confused, so here's a little timeline. Note that the dates don't neccessarily match up with the year, but oh well.
Wed January 17: Bella arrives at Riverside and moves in
Thurs January 18: Bella's first day of school-- Going to the nurse, lunchtime chat
Fri January 19: Bella's second day of school-- "prep" outfit, the almost kisses and the party
Sat January 20: Bella accepts Edward's apology, first kiss
Sun January 21: Bella accepts Jake's invite to the ball, Skye moves in, Bella and Edward recite Romeo and Juliet, Bella and Edward go out for dinner, "The Pastasauce Accident", Edward stays with Bella for the night and listens to her sleep talk
Mon January 22: Bella's third day of school-- Bella cracks skull open on Alice's bedframe, Edward takes her to the hospital.
Tues Jan 23-Fri Jan 26: Bella is unconsious. Jan 26 she wakes up in the hospital.
Keep reading and reviewing!